Most bicycle racks have characteristically been unattractive and ungainly devices constructed of heavy, rigid materials, e.g., steel pipes or welded rods, with vertical wheel slots wide enough for all standard wheel-fender combinations. When multi-speed bicycles with narrow wheels have been placed in such racks, they have frequently twisted or fallen, often resulting in paint scratches or other damage. Such heavy racks have been designed primarily for security and not for bicycle stability, and they are unsuitable for many applications, such as for display stands and holding devices enabling mechanical work on the bicycle.
Some bicycle racks have been designed with side pieces which loosely support a wheel at two locations. Such racks lack stability and wheel retention capability.
Some racks have no versatility, being designed for a single type of use and not feasible for other uses.
Kickstands, considered standard equipment on most bicycles, are useful but provide no security and frequently fail to support the bicycle adequately on uneven surfaces or in congested areas where if one bike falls, they all fall.
Many bicycle racks are expensive but still do not support the bicycles. Some are inexpensive enough but with few other virtues: some cannot accommodate fenders; some collect trash and fallen leaves; some discourage their use and one finds bicycles lying around them rather than in them; some become easily damaged during use; some provide hazards to pedestrians; some tend to damage wheel spokes.
The inventor knows of no really satisfactory general-purpose bicycle rack other than that of the present invention.